Yotam Ottolenghi's celery salad with feta and soft-boiled egg: A fresh-tasting, crunchy dish with which to kick-start the new year in healthy style. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the Guardian

In case you've just opened your eyes, a little weary after last night, not to mention the last week of nonstop munching and gulping, get yourself into the kitchen and make this salad. It has the amazing quality of tasting both healthy and comforting, just at a time when you need a little miracle. Serves four.

Put the celery, green pepper and onion in a bowl, sprinkle in the sugar and salt, and stir. Leave for 30 minutes, to soften the vegetables and draw out some of their juices – these will be used in the dressing later.

Meanwhile, top and tail each lemon, then, with a small, sharp knife, cut down the sides, following the natural curve of the fruit, to remove the skin and pith. Holding each lemon over a small bowl, cut in between the membranes and remove the individual segments. Add these to the softened vegetables, followed by the celery leaves, parsley, coriander, capers, chilli, olive oil and some black pepper, mix gently to combine and taste for seasoning.

Just before serving, spoon the eggs into a pan of boiling water and simmer gently for six minutes. Run under cold water until cool enough to handle but still warm inside, then peel carefully as the yolks should still be runny. Arrange the salad on four plates and top each serving with a slice of feta. Top this with a soft-boiled egg, broken in the middle, so the yolk oozes out a little. Finish with a few drops of olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.